Useful Bible Studies > 2 Kings Commentary > chapter 14
After his success in battle at Beth Shemesh, it seems that Jehoash did not need to fight for Jerusalem. He simply went there to demand what he wanted. He took gold, silver and precious objects. He also destroyed a large section of the wall that surrounded the city. That was his price for peace, and the people in Judah had no choice about the matter. They had to give him whatever he desired.
Jehoash was in such a strong situation because he had taken Amaziah, the king of Judah, as his prisoner. Amaziah was willing to offer anything in order to regain his freedom and his country. Judah’s people did not dare to fight against Jehoash when he had such an important prisoner. They knew that Jehoash could easily kill Amaziah.
Jehoash destroyed the wall so that Jerusalem’s people could not defend themselves against any future attack by him. Previously, Jerusalem’s city wall had made the city extremely strong. The Ephraim gate would have been in the direction of Ephraim – in other words, on Jerusalem’s northern side. From this gate, Jehoash destroyed 600 feet (180 metres) of the wall, to its corner. It would take a long time to rebuild such a large part of the city’s defences.
The gold and silver that Jehoash took, came both from the royal palace and the temple (the house of God). He also took some more people from Jerusalem as his prisoners. That would allow him to make further demands in the future.
Next part: The death of Jehoash (2 Kings 14:15-16)
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